POLICEMEN BECOME FARMERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 29 November 1945, Page 7

POLICEMEN BECOME FARMERS

BRIEF REFERENCE IN HOUSE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) Wellington, Nov., 28. Rumours of discontent among members of the Police Force had a brief aii’ing in the House of Representatives during the second reading debate on the Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Amendment Bill. Mr W. J. Broadfoot (National, Waitomo) had been discussing the drift from the rural areas to the towns, and suggested that one of the reasons was the lack of adequate remuneration to farmers. The magnanimous Minister of Finance, he said, put a farm worker’s wage at £4 10s a week, plus 30s for his house and incidentals, yet in the towns high wages were being paid for a 40-hour week. The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser): Most of the men resigning from the Police Force at £4OO a year are going on to the land. Mr Broadfoot: Why are the police resigning? Are the members of the Police Force getting a fair deal? Mr Fraser: Farming is a better proposition. Mr Speaker intervened on the ground of irrelevancy and Mr Broadfoot closed by saying he would leave the police on the knees of the Prime Minister—and the force would take some quietening.